I have two beta fish. Any Advice?

Question

I want them to live long healthy lives. Any tips?

Answer 1

Betta's are one of the easiest fish to care for, minimal maintenance. They can live quite some time...we've had one fellow now for 3 years and prior to that I had a betta that lived almost 5 years.

Change the water as needed (is getting cloudy etc) or once a week whichever comes first. Ensure that the water used is free of chlorine...use a water conditioner specifically for bettas. Buy the best betta food pellets you can afford...the food does make a difference in the health of the fish.

Believe it or not...they do begin to recognize their care giver. Our little fellow comes up to the glass whenever I step near him...he's waiting for food of course, but like other animals...attention is good too at times during the day :)

Never put two betta's together...death will be certain. They are known as Siamese Fighting Fish for that reason.

Place their bowl in a place where there is not a lot of traffic or bright light (sun), be certain the temp of the water used when changing their bowl is as close to the temp the bowl had in it as possible to avoid sudden shock. You'll know if the fish has been shocked because he will be quite still and sink to the bottom of the bowl and may not move for awhile. As he acclimates to the temp he'll become more mobile again.

Other than that...enjoy ... they are gorgeous fish to watch and they will actually live among gold fish that are similar in size to them. I had one Betta living with 6 other goldfish without any problem. But, similar size is important.

Good luck

Answer 2

it's true that you can successfully keep them in a bowl or vase, but it take a lot of up keep and a very warm room. you need to change the water every three days, no putting it off unless you want sick fish. you need to keep your house at at least 75°F but preferably 78° to 80°F. now I don't know about you, but unless you're a breeder and have a special fish room I don't keep my house that warm.

a much more low maintenance way (that many think they can't do for their bettas because they think they can only keep them in tiny little cups) is either a 2.5gallon tank with a filter and heater or a 5gallon tank with a filter and heater. the 5 gallon tank is much more low maintenance and not really any more expensive. 25watt heater with the 5 gallon tank and 7.5watt heater with the 2.5 gallon tank, the 7.5 watt heater is much harder to find. (you can even do a 10 gallon with a 50 watt heater and a small filter, and the you could add other fish, but that's a whole other thing entirely).
so my recommendation would be *edited, I forgot you have 2*:
10 gallon tank
50 watt submergable heater
6 bushy silk plants (put 3 plants on each side of the tank)
thermometer
low power filter (one for a 1-3 gallon tank work great)
divider, preferably mesh.


with a 10 gallon you only need to do 20% water changes every week. do this by sucking out 20%of the water from the bottom with a turkey baster, then replacing it with clean conditioned water. full water changes shouldn't be needed, only do a full water change if the tank gets really really nasty or there's a terrible disease taking over your tank. and lets hope neither of those happen for you. :)

Answer 3

1. Don't keep them together
2. If possible, keep each one in a 2.5 gallon bowl or more with a fiter and heater.
3. Feed a healthy variety of foods, not just the same old flake every day. Add in bloodworms, brine shrimp and the like.
4. If you are keeping them in bowls, keep the water clean. Change out the entire bowl every 2-3 days.
5. Keep them warm. Bettas are tropical fish and need temperatures above room temp to do their best. 78 F is a good temperature to shoot for.

Here's a link to a page that will help you alot:

http://www.bettatalk.com/basic_care.htm

Best of luck with them!

MM

Answer 4

Unless one is a boy and one is a girl and you want to breed them Keep them apart. change the water often feed regularly and give some attention. They should be around for awhile. they are kinda hard to kill. Good luck. Girl beta fish can share a tank but males are no good together it will be a fight to the death.

Answer 5

yeah dont feed them too much dnt feed them too less clean there take 1-2 times a week and get those little things in there tank like castles and ect. a recent study says fish live longer in a tank when there are things to see or look at it intrests them

Answer 6

Don't put them in the same tank or with other fish.

Keep their bowl clean.

There is special food you can buy them at pet stores and basically it is tiny weeny worms. Ask.

I breed betas when I was young and they love those worms. It is fun to watch them eat them.

Answer 7

find a nice clena river and set them free....or try changing the water every other day( depending on the size of the bowl) or use an aquarium with a filter. Dont put them toghethr cause they will fight each other( which is cool, but will not help with long healthy lives part)

Answer 8

First don't put them together in the same tank! Be consistent in cleaning their tank. I would personally put them in a bigger tank than what you buy them in in stores. Maybe even possibly putting a filter on the tank as well would help.
I had a betta but the filter on his tank was too much for him. Taht's about it from me!

Answer 9

Buy fake plants, castles, snorklers, etc. that they can swim through and hide in. My fish always seemed happy hanging out behind their little treasure chests.

Answer 10

keep them separate.